A woman in San Antonio, Texas, has been arrested for allegedly striking and killing a homeless man on the street. The victim, who remains unidentified, showed no external signs of injury, but an autopsy revealed severe internal injuries, including internal decapitation. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar described the victim’s injuries as if he had been decapitated internally.
The incident occurred on Monday night, and the victim was discovered the following morning by a pedestrian. The suspect, Savannah Mercedes Lopez, 27, was taken into custody and is facing charges related to the incident.
Savannah Mercedes Lopez, 27, has been arrested in San Antonio, Texas, for allegedly causing the death of a homeless man by striking him with her vehicle. The victim, who has not been publicly identified, showed no external signs of injury, but an autopsy revealed severe internal injuries, including internal decapitation. Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar held a press conference on Thursday, where he provided details about the incident.
According to Sheriff Salazar, the victim’s injuries were so severe that it appeared as if he had been decapitated internally. The victim’s body remained intact due to the skin, but his neck area was completely severed.
Sheriff Salazar stated that the victim’s death was believed to be almost instantaneous, as he suffered from several broken bones, a brain bleed, and a broken neck and back. Due to the near-instant death, there was very little blood circulating, resulting in the lack of external injuries. The sheriff also mentioned that it seemed the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when it struck the man. Based on the injuries, it appeared that the victim was hit from behind, causing his body to conform to the front bumper of the car.
Although the collision itself was not captured on a nearby doorbell camera, the sound of the impact was recorded. Sheriff Salazar described the sound as sickening, resembling a vehicle hitting another car. The camera also captured the truck coming to a stop before speeding away.
Investigators were able to link the crash to a white Dodge pickup seen on the camera around the time of the incident. The truck was spotted the following day, leading to the questioning of Lopez and her husband. Initially, they provided conflicting stories about the visible damage to the truck, but eventually, Lopez admitted to being the driver.
Sheriff Salazar acknowledged that it may never be determined if Lopez was intoxicated or distracted at the time of the crash. He also revealed that Lopez was apparently out on bond for a DWI charge when the fatal incident occurred. Lopez has been charged with failure to stop and render aid involving serious bodily injury and death. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are working to gather more evidence and information related to the case.